Our Burchinal crew pulls the idle tub, keeps the alcove, and hands back a shower anywhere in Cerro Gordo County within days.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
Maybe you are tired of stepping over that high, dangerous ledge every single morning just to wash your hair.
This common frustration plagues many folks who inherited an old-style tub they never actually sit down in.
Fortunately, swapping that bulky basin for a sleek, walk-in option makes your daily routine safer and much faster.
When you make this smart switch, you instantly gain a spacious area that feels open and airy.
Our professional team specializes in transforming these outdated setups into beautiful, accessible walk-in areas.
By requesting a free estimate from us today, you can start planning a space that fits your lifestyle perfectly.
Think about how much easier your morning will go when you no longer have to balance on one wet foot.
Actually, most people find they save precious minutes every day because cleaning a flat floor is way simpler than scrubbing a curved basin.
We travel right to your home to look at your layout, listen to your ideas, and give you a clear price sheet for the project.
Safety stands out as the biggest reason to rethink your current bathroom layout.
Slip-and-fall accidents happen all too often on slick, curved porcelain surfaces.
Replacing that obstacle with a low-profile pan gives you a stable, flat surface to stand on.
Beyond the safety perks, you will notice a huge difference in how spacious your room looks.
Glass doors let light flow freely, which visually doubles the size of a cramped room.
Here is a quick look at how these two setups compare for daily life:
| Feature | Old High-Wall Basin | Modern Walk-In Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Step-In Height | Usually 14 to 18 inches | Only 1 to 3 inches |
| Cleaning Effort | High (lots of bending and reaching) | Low (simple squeegee or wipe down) |
| Visual Space | Blocks off the room, feels cramped | Opens up the floor plan, looks bright |
| Accessibility | Difficult for kids or older adults | Easy for everyone in the family |
On top of these daily benefits, a modern update like this can boost the overall appeal of your property.
Most buyers these days prefer quick, walk-in setups over dusty old soaking basins they will never use.
This means your small investment now can pay off down the road if you ever decide to move away.
First, we carefully protect your floors and walls before we touch a single tool in your home.
Next, our crew gently dismantles the old basin and carries it away so you do not have to deal with the heavy lifting.
Then, we inspect the underlying wood and plumbing pipes for any hidden water damage or mold issues.
This critical step ensures your new setup rests on a rock-solid, completely dry foundation.
After we fix any issues, we install the new drain lines and the durable base pan.
Finally, we put up your choice of gorgeous, waterproof wall surrounds and secure the hardware.
You might worry that your home will turn into a messy construction zone for weeks on end.
Actually, our experienced installers often finish the entire job in just a couple of days.
Which means you will be back to your normal routine in no time, enjoying your upgraded space.
Choosing the right materials lets you match the look of your home while keeping maintenance incredibly low.
For example, durable acrylic panels mimic the look of expensive stone without the porous grout lines that collect soap scum.
This lets you enjoy a gorgeous look without spending your weekends scrubbing with a toothbrush.
Additionally, you can add handy features like built-in seating, sturdy grab bars, or recessed corner shelves.
These smart additions keep your shampoo bottles organized and off the floor while giving you a place to rest.
We can show you all these options during our initial consultation at your house.
Perhaps you want a rainfall showerhead or a hand-held wand for ultimate rinsing flexibility.
These modern fixtures let you control the water flow exactly how you want it.
We help you select the perfect combination of hardware to make your daily routine feel like a spa visit.
Working with a nearby team means you get personal service from folks who understand the local housing styles.
We proudly serve the tiny, close-knit community of Burchinal, Iowa, bringing top-tier craftsmanship to our neighbors in Cerro Gordo County.
Because we live and work nearby, we take extra pride in every single home transformation we complete.
No matter if your house is a historic farm property or a newer build, we know how to handle the local plumbing quirks.
This deep local knowledge helps us avoid unexpected delays and keeps your project running smoothly on budget.
Plus, we always treat your home with the utmost respect, cleaning up every speck of dust before we leave.
You can easily get a clear picture of your options by reaching out to us for an on-site visit.
We will measure your space, discuss your design ideas, and provide a detailed estimate without any high-pressure sales tactics.
This free quote helps you make an informed decision on your own terms.
Some homeowners worry that losing a tub might hurt their home value if they have young kids.
However, as long as you have at least one deep basin left in another bathroom, this swap actually increases appeal.
Most busy adults prefer the speed and safety of a walk-in setup for their primary bathroom anyway.
Another common question involves the total cost of the project and how long it takes.
While prices vary based on the materials you choose, we work hard to find options that fit your budget.
We lay out all the costs upfront so you never have to worry about surprise fees at the end.
We also make sure the transition from the old plumbing to the new drain line is completely seamless.
This prevents future leaks that could ruin your subfloor and cost a fortune to repair later.
Our professional installation gives you total peace of mind that the job is done right the first time.
Now is the perfect time to stop struggling with an outdated, unsafe bathroom setup.
You deserve a clean, bright space that makes you feel energized every morning.
Let us handle the heavy lifting and technical plumbing work while you focus on picking out your favorite styles.
Contact us today to schedule your complimentary, in-home consultation and receive a free estimate.
We will walk you through the entire plan, answer your questions, and show you how easy this upgrade can be.
Transform your daily routine and enjoy a safer, more beautiful home today!
Count the baths your household actually ran last year. In most homes we visit, the honest number is somewhere between zero and three, and yet every single morning somebody swings a leg over fifteen inches of porcelain rim to stand up and shower inside a fixture built for lying down. The tub charges rent daily and works a few evenings a year.
Nothing dramatic follows from that. Nobody is in danger because a bathtub exists, and if long soaks are part of your week, keep the tub and enjoy it with our blessing. The case for the conversion is plainer: when the tub has become a shower tray with high sides, you are paying, in caution and in cleaning, for a feature you retired years ago.
The swap itself is smaller than most people picture. The supply lines, the drain and the alcove walls are already exactly where a shower wants them, which is why this is a job measured in days. We are not building a new bathroom; we are letting the one you have stop pretending it still gives baths.
The same alcove, photographed the way the week actually unfolds. Weather never delays this one; it all happens indoors.
Floors along the hallway get covered, the water goes off for a few hours, and the bathtub is cut free and carried out, tile flange and all. With the alcove stripped, the plumber moves the drain to where the new pan wants it and sets the new valve at shower height. By supper the room is bare, clean and ready.
The base arrives first: an acrylic pan set dead level on a mortar bed, or a sloped, waterproofed floor when the plan says curbless. Then the walls close in, either grout-free panels bonded in a single afternoon or backer board ready for tile. Everything from here on is watertight before it is pretty.
The glass panel or door is drilled, hung and plumbed straight, the trim goes on, and the silicone lines are drawn last. Silicone wants a day to cure, so the first shower usually happens the following morning, which is exactly how we schedule the walkthrough.
Both are real showers in the same alcove. The difference is the entry, and what has to happen under it.
| What you weigh | Low curb | Curbless |
|---|---|---|
| What stands at the entry | A tidy threshold about 3 to 4 inches tall | Nothing. The bathroom floor rolls straight into the shower |
| Cost, installed | The friendlier bracket, most jobs land here | Roughly a third to a half more, the floor is rebuilt |
| What the crew rebuilds | The alcove only; the bathroom floor stays shut | Part of the bathroom floor, sloped and waterproofed |
| Water containment | The curb and glass do the holding | The slope and a linear drain do the holding |
| Suits best | Straight swaps on a budget and upstairs bathrooms | Wheels, walkers, and anyone planning to stay put for decades |
Undecided is a fine answer on the form. The site visit settles it with a tape measure, not a sales pitch.
Removal
Cut free, hauled out and off to recycling, with floors and doorways shielded on the way. The loudest hour of the conversion, and it wraps before most jobs have begun.
Plumbing
Tub drains sit at one end; showers drain where the pan says. We move what needs moving and swap the old valve for a pressure-balanced one.
The base
A level acrylic pan for most swaps, a mortar-built sloped floor for curbless plans. Either way it is tested with water before anything covers it.
The walls
Grout-free panels go up in an afternoon and wipe clean forever. Tile takes longer, costs more, and looks like whatever you can imagine.
The glass
A fixed panel keeps things open and easy to clean; a hinged door closes the warmth in. Both are tempered, both are set dead straight.
The finish
Shelving, the hand shower, clean caulk lines and a walkthrough. We leave the cure time in writing so the first shower is not a gamble.
| The job | Usual range | Inside the number |
|---|---|---|
| Standard tub-to-shower conversion | $3,100 - $5,600 | Tub out, low curb pan, wall panels, new valve, glass panel. |
| Curbless conversion | $4,900 - $8,800 | The floor is rebuilt flush and sloped to a linear drain. |
| Glass: fixed panel or hinged door | $450 - $1,400 | A single panel sits at the low end, a framed door at the top. |
| Walls: PVC panels or tile | $1,100 - $3,900 | Panels finish in a day; tile adds days and takes any look you want. |
| Tear-out only | $450 - $950 | The tub gone and the alcove left clean for another trade. |
| Small job minimum | around $2,400 | Even the simplest swap books a licensed plumber and a full crew. |
Wall condition, drain position and the glass you choose move every line. The visit pins the figure down, and the figure then holds.
A bathtub drains at one end through its own trap; most showers want the drain nearer the middle, or along one edge when the plan is curbless. Sometimes the existing trap is close enough to reuse and sometimes it has to travel a foot or two, which means opening a strip of floor. We can usually tell which from the basement or the crawl space during the visit, and the paperwork you sign already names which one you are getting.
Houses older than the seventies like to add a surprise: galvanized supply lines rusted nearly shut, a cast iron trap that crumbles at a touch, or framing that got damp decades ago and kept it quiet. None of it is rare and none of it is ruinous, but it is your call, not ours. When something like that turns up, work pauses, you get photographs and a price for the fix, and nothing is billed until you have said yes to it. A conversion should never be the job where the invoice writes itself.
QIs losing the only bathtub a resale mistake?
AAgents around Burchinal repeat one rule: a family house shows better with a tub somewhere in it. If this is your only tub and small children are in your plans, we put that on the table during the visit and you decide with open eyes. If another bathroom keeps its tub, or the buyers you expect are shower people, the argument evaporates.
QHow long do we go without washing?
AThe toilet and sink stay usable every evening, and the water is only off for stretches on day one. The shower itself is ready once the silicone cures, so figure on missing roughly three days of showers at home. Plenty of clients time the job before a weekend away.
QDoes all the old tile come off the walls?
AOn the alcove walls, yes, because the new waterproofing needs to start from the studs, not from forty-year-old grout. Tile outside the alcove stays put, and we cut a clean line where the two meet.
QCan the new shower use the tub drain?
AThe pipe itself is nearly always reusable; the position is the question. A low curb pan can often sit its drain within reach of the old trap. Curbless floors want a relocated or linear drain, and that difference is priced before demo, never discovered after.
QDo we need a permit for the swap?
AA like-for-like fixture swap usually rides on a simple plumbing permit, and moving the drain can add an inspection. We file whatever your jurisdiction wants and fold the cost into the written price.
QWhat if there is rot behind the tub?
AIt happens, mostly around the old tile flange. You get photographs the hour we find it, a firm price for the repair, and the choice to proceed or pause. The framing fix is usually a morning, not a remodel.
The map carries the geography; the link lists underneath spell out every town our crews can reach from this one.
For the bigger map: county seat pages start at Cerro Gordo County; the statewide picture lives on Iowa; the wider region is the Midwest; background reading sits on Wikipedia.
One three-day job stands between this bathroom and its best fixture.
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